Stolen Hearts
by BlazingEmblem
Summary: Since becoming an item, Ren and Makoto agreed to keep their relationship a secret from the others. They just weren't very good at it. Written for Shumako Week 2020 Day 3: Arsene&Johanna/Metaverse


"I feel bad about hiding our relationship from the others." Makoto admitted.

"We'll tell them one day." he told her. "It's just… I wouldn't want word to somehow spread to…"

"My sister?" Makoto asked.

"Well…"

"It's ok." she told him. "I get it. But… I suppose she might have to know one day too…"

"Let's just take things one step at a time, alright?" he smiled.

"That sounds good." Makoto nodded.

"Are you sure you're feeling ok?" he asked, glancing at her. "You took a nasty blow back there."

"Just a scratch." she told him. "What about you? Are you hurt?"

"I'm good." he nodded, glancing at her.

He winced when he saw the wound on her hand.

"Sorry." he muttered. "If I was paying attention…"

"It's ok, Ren." she assured him. "I don't regret what I did. I know that you'd do the same."

"At least let me heal you." he offered.

She agreed, holding out her hand as he gently held it, healing the wound.

"Thank you." she smiled. "Oh! I almost forgot! There's something I wanted to ask you."

"Yeah?"

"I know that we have a lot to deal with, so feel free to say no, but…" she trailed off. "There's this movie coming to theaters called Like a Dragon. I… wanted to see it with you."

"I heard of it." he said. "Isn't that a Yakuza movie?"

"A-Ah, well… it's got a famous director…"

He gave a soft chuckle, smiling at her. "Do you like movies like that?"

"Is that ok…?"

"It's fine." he assured her. "I think it's pretty cool, actually. I'm sure I can make some time to go with you."

"T-Thanks." she whispered.

She glanced around, making sure that no one else was around before wrapping her arms around him.

Leaning closer…

And closer…

And closer…

*Clink*

"Ah!"

"Urk!"

They both jerked away, giving small grunts of pain.

"I… guess it's a little hard to kiss with these masks on." she giggled.

"Little bit, yeah, he laughed. "Guess we're still learning, huh?"

"I guess so." she agreed. "Hey, do you think that the others might be onto us? We've been spending a lot of time together recently. What if they can all see it…"

He spent a few seconds thinking it over before coming to a conclusion.

"Nah, it couldn't be." he said with confidence. "I mean, we're not that obvious about it, are we?"

* * *

"There's definitely something going on between them!" Ann thought. It's totally obvious!"

As they traveled through Mementos in order to train for Futaba's Palace, she couldn't help but notice something different about their leader.

For the longest time, she had always seen Ren as a very quiet and cautious individual. While he was a lot more confident (if cocky) in the Metaverse, he still seemed a bit on guard.

After everything that happened to him in his hometown, however, and with all the false rumors floating around about him at school, she couldn't blame him.

Thankfully, ever since he had helped out with the situation with Kamoshida, however, she noticed that gradually, he was beginning to come out of his shell.

He was more open with them, more relaxed, and just seemed happier.

But never did he seem happier… than when he with the Phantom Thieves' new advisor.

"Wow! That was awesome!"

She glanced over, smiling as she saw the two of them together, a large grin on Joker's normally neutral face as the two of them stepped off of Makoto's Persona.

"Johanna is rather fun to ride, isn't she?" their advisor smiled. "I was actually considering getting a motorcycle license in the real world."

"That would be pretty cool." Joker told her. "Maybe take me for a ride?"

"Sure." Queen agreed. "Sounds like fun."

She was the latest member to join their group, and while they had gotten off to a bad start, she had quickly proven herself to be a valuable member of the team.

And maybe it was just her imagination, but it seemed like there was something budding between Joker and Queen…

* * *

The group had just dispatched a group of enemy shadows, her thoughts on their leader and newest member still on her mind.

"Hey, Skull?" Ann called, hoping for a second opinion. "Isn't Joker being a bit of a showoff?"

"Ain't he always like that?" Ryuji responded.

"No, I mean more than usual."

Ryuji glanced over at Ren, who had just taken down the entire group of foes in one fell swoop.

He had a massive smirk on his face as he started adjusting his gloves.

"Either he's got the loosest fitting gloves on the planet or he just wants to flex his biceps." she smirked.

"Now that you mention it, he was showin' off pretty hard in Kaneshiro's palace too…" Ryuji mentioned. "Wonder why?"

"Is that so…" she trailed off, glancing around. "Oh! Skull, look!"

She pointed towards Makoto, who had been watching Ren _very _intently the entire time.

With quite the noticeable blush on her face.

"No effin' way! Joker and Queen?!" Ryuji gasped. "For real?!"

"Interesting…" she said. "I say we investigate!"

"Yeah…" Ryuji trailed off.

"What is it?" Ann wondered.

"Didn't think he'd be an ass guy." Ryuji bluntly stated.

She just rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Cut them down, Goemon!"

Goemon sliced at the foe with a powerful Rising Slash, severing the shadow in two.

"Nice one, Fox!" she praised.

"Thank you." Yusuke nodded. "I was unsure about this weapon at first, but it's proven to be quite effective."

"Did Joker buy that for ya?" Ryuji asked.

Yusuke shook his head. "When he gave it to me yesterday, he mentioned something about experimenting with his Persona in order to transform them into items. Unfortunately, it seems that it's something he can only do once per day."

"Ah, that sucks." Ryuji groaned. "Did he do that do that today?"

"I believe so." Yusuke nodded. "I assume that he made a strong weapon for Queen, hoping to ensure her safety."

"Makes sense." she shrugged. "Hey, look. I think he's giving it to her now."

The three of them glanced over, seeing Ren and Makoto speaking.

"Sorry if I was a little hard to follow." Ren said. "I get a little carried away sometimes."

"Oh, no, it's fine." Makoto replied. "Watching you was… um, very interesting."

"Think you're ready to do some fighting of your own in Mementos?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm ready for my training! I'll learn everything there is to know!" Makoto nodded, a determined look in her eyes. "Drill it into me, Ren."

"W-What?!" he stammered, his face starting to flush.

"Is… something wrong?" she asked, her face tilted in confusion.

"I-It's nothing." he muttered.

"Ren's so flustered!" she giggled, quiet enough so that they wouldn't hear.

"Hmm… it's rare to see our leader like this." Yusuke observed.

"I think he likes her!" she grinned.

"I don't know… ain't Ms. Post-Apocalyptic Rider a little intense?" Ryuji asked. "She'd tear him apart if he made her mad."

"Well, Joker actually gets good grades, so I don't think he'll have to worry about that too much." she laughed.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Ryuji yelled.

"Quiet! They're hear us!"

The three Persona users continued glancing at their leader and newest member.

"Anyway, I got you this." Ren said, handing her a new weapon.

"Are these… bear paws?" Makoto asked.

"I promise, they're actually really strong." Ren told her. "Unfortunately, there wasn't a Buchimaru version."

"O-Oh, hush!" she stammered, equipping her new weapon.

She took a few practice swings before nodding to herself, turning towards Ren with a bright smile.

"These feel really good." she beamed. "And they're pretty cute, don't you think?"

"Y-Yeah…cute." he whispered, his face flushed.

"Ohohoho… look at that." she grinned.

"That expression of his… I must remember that." Yusuke noted, making a familiar framing motion with his hands.

"Joker, look out!"

They snapped to attention, seeing Makoto push Joker out of the way of an attacking shadow.

"Makoto!" Ren shouted, too shocked to remember to refer to her by her codename.

Queen had taken a powerful blow, but still held her ground, glaring at the enemy, preparing a counterattack.

"ATATATATATATATATATA!"

She stuck the enemy with rapid-fire blows faster than the eye could see, never relenting until the shadow dissolved into nothingness.

"Fist of Justice!" Queen yelled, delivering the final blow.

She breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that both Joker and Queen seemed to be ok.

"Ah… another memorable expression." Yusuke noted.

Wondering what he meant, she glanced over at the two of them, noticing a noticeable blush forming on Ren's face as he watched Makoto's counterattack.

"That's what gets him to blush?!" Ryuji said in disbelief. "Maybe Ren's one of those Makochists or whatever."

"That's masochist, you prev!" she yelled.

"You would know! You're the one who uses a whip!"

"Shut up Skull!"

* * *

She took a sip of water, thankful for the small break.

Instantly, she felt herself feeling more refreshed, ready to cast more fire spells.

"So, you're still not convinced?" she asked him.

"No, I see it now. But why wouldn't he tell me he liked her?" Ryuji asked.

"Because you can't keep a secret to save your life." Ann muttered.

"What do ya mean by that?!" Ryuji yelled.

"Need I remind you of the circumstances that lead to Queen discovering her identities." Yusuke frowned.

"Yeah, yeah…" Ryuji muttered. "Well, why don't we just ask Mona?"

"Ask me what?"

The feline swordsman approached them, for once out of his van form.

"You spend a lot of time around Joker, right Mona?" she asked. "Sooo… do you have any idea what kind of girl he might like?"

Morgana's mouth hung agape, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"Lady Ann!" Morgana exclaimed. "Don't tell me that you like-"

"It's not about that." she sighed. "We just think that there might be someone budding between Joker and Queen."

"Now that you mention it… I did notice how he was constantly glancing at her in Kaneshiro's palace." Morgana recalled. "It was right after she awakened to her persona and got that outfit."

"I myself thought that he simply appreciating the artistic quality of the female form." Yusuke said. "Numerous times I caught him glancing at her curves."

"I… don't think that was the reason, man." Ryuji deadpanned.

"So, what do you think, Mona?" she asked.

"Ren's been taking her to places like the arcade or out to dinner to 'expand her horizons' or something." Morgana mentioned. "Normal teenage stuff, I guess."

"She's also been helping out with shopping too." Yusuke brought up.

She felt herself smile, hearing what they did for each other.

Ren needed someone to keep him grounded and less stressed. Of course, the same could be said for Makoto.

"They're good for each other." she smiled.

"But not as good a couple as you and I would be, Panther!" Morgana declared.

"A… couple of _good friends_, right?" she stressed.

Morgana slumped in defeat, the others struggling to hold their laughter in.

* * *

"WHAAAAAAAT?!"

Seeing Noir flinch, she offered a swift apology.

It had been a few months since their 'investigating' began, but they hadn't found anything else connecting the two.

Until now.

"Sorry, sorry." Ann excused. "I was just really surprised, is all."

"So, he helped Queen out, just like the rest of us." Ryuji noted.

"Not only that, but they were dating!" Ann squealed.

"Well, not actually dating, only pretending." Haru mentioned. "She emphasized that part quite a bit, although she was rather embarrassed when she did so."

"Could we not just get Oracle to figure something out?" Yusuke suggested.

"It's about time you asked for my help!" the navigator exclaimed, apparently listening in. "I know more than all of you. Especially that weirdo Inari!"

"Who are you calling a weirdo?!" Yusuke protested. "And what could you even know about them?

"Cause I've hacked Ren's phone. Duh!" Futaba answered. "So I know about every text they sent to each other!"

"And what did you find?" she asked.

"S-So many things…" Futaba shuddered. "T-There were p-pictures… and 'study sessions'… 'anatomy study sessions'."

"… Maybe it's for the best that we don't know what's on there." Haru mentioned.

"Well, either way, there's definitely something between them!" Ann grinned. "So let's find out!"

And so began the latest operation of the Phantom Thieves.

* * *

"One Shot Kill!"

Haru hummed a tune to herself as Milady littered the enemy shadow with bullets.

"Excellent work, Noir." Makoto praised.

"Did you see the way it begged for mercy?!" Haru beamed.

"Y-Yes, I… certainly did." she mentioned. "That's another heart changed."

"Yes, of course…" Haru whispered.

"Is… something wrong?" she asked.

"I was just wondering if Sugimura was down here…" Haru mentioned.

"Haru…" she trailed off.

"Oh, don't worry!" Haru quickly said. "The arranged marriage was called off."

"That's a relief." she said.

"Although, I hope one day that I can find I can find someone special." Haru mentioned.

"I'm sure that you will." she encouraged.

"Thank you!" Haru beamed. "Oh, but what about you? Do you have a special someone?"

"A-A… special someone?!" she stammered. "N-No, of course not!"

"Oh, really?" Haru asked. "Well, I was just curious, is all. Actually… do you think Ren is single, Queen?"

"N-No!" she quickly said. "U-Um, I mean… l-let's talk about something else, ok?"

"Well… alright." Haru relented, letting it go for now.

She'd just need to leave things to the others.

* * *

He glanced over the area, his hands in a framing motion.

"Looking for more inspiration, Fox?" Ren asked.

He glanced over towards Ren, seeing him idly twilling his dagger.

While he wasn't as… openly exited as some of the others, he was still invested in getting him and Queen together.

… If only for a magnificent art that they their love could produce.

"Something like that." Yusuke responded. "I find a certain beauty in the various shadows inhabiting this place."

"If you say so." Ren shrugged.

"Which reminds me…" the artist trailed off. "I wanted your help for another painting of mine."

"Another painting?" Ren repeated. "Sure, all right."

"Excellent." Yusuke nodded. "Now, I wanted my next piece to focus on passion and romance. I figured that you would have experience in that regard."

It was subtle, so subtle that others might not have noticed, but for someone like him, who frequently went people watching, the slight shift in his posture was very noticeable.

"I'm… not really sure why you would think that." Ren responded, his face beginning to flush.

"Ah." The artist thought to himself. "What a wonderful expression."

* * *

"Soooo… Queen?"

"Yes, Oracle?"

"…Anatomy studies, huh?"

"W-We are not talking about this!"

* * *

Another month…

Still no progress…

But now wasn't really the time to be focusing on such things.

With the looming threat of Sae's Palace, and Akechi watching their every move, they needed to always be on their guard.

Ren tore through the palace like a man possessed, ripping through shadows as if they were made of paper.

The reality of their situation hit each of them hard, especially Ren, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

Maybe he was just lashing out at how unfair everything was.

At the very least, he knew Makoto would keep him sane. They just had that kind of effect on each other.

"Skull."

Being startled out of his thoughts, he glanced towards Ren, seeing multiple downed shadows behind him.

"I need to talk to you. In private." Ren said, his voice completely even.

"Um… yeah, sure thing, man." he responded.

The two Thieves walked away from the group.

"So, what did ya want to talk about?" he asked.

"I…I…"

He looked over at Ren, seeing his normally calm demeanor began to crack.

"Easy, easy." He said, patting his shoulder. "You just gotta relax."

Ren took a deep breath before speaking again.

"I need to ask a favor." Ren said.

"A favor?" he repeated. "Sure man, whatever you need."

"If something happens to me… please look after Makoto." Ren whispered.

He frowned. "Nothing's going to happened to y-"

"Just listen to me!" Ren interrupted. "Please…"

"She really means a lot to ya, doesn't she?" he asked.

"Yeah…" Ren trailed off.

"So have a little faith in her!" he yelled. "She came up with a plan to save you, and her plans haven't let us down yet."

Thankfully, Ren seemed to calm down. "Yeah. It's a good plan. I just… we just need to convince her."

"If anyone can do it, it's you." he encouraged him. "Now come on, let's not keep the others waiting."

* * *

She watched as he was forced to fight for his life, all alone.

As she watched him take a nasty blow to the head, she felt her grip on the iron bars tightened.

There was nothing she wanted more than to rush down there and help him, but that was against the rules set forth by her sister's shadow.

Her sister had become so distorted, that she had created a palace of her own…

And now, her shadow was trying to kill her lover…

And to top it all off, there was the matter of Akechi and the rest of the conspiracy trying to kill Ren.

It was almost too much to bear.

She wanted to cry. To scream. To do anything. But right now, she was powerless.

"Hey, Queen."

Panther put a hand on her shoulder.

"Everything's going to be ok." Panther told her. "Ren's strong. He'll be fine."

"I-I just don't know what to do… he's down there, fighting by himself, and later…" she trailed off, not wanting to bring up the interrogation. "I don't know what to do."

"Just be there for him, ok?" Ann suggested. "Let him know that you'll always be there for him. I think he really needs to hear that right now, and afterwards. If there's anyone he'd open up too, it'd be you."

"Right… I'll do that." Makoto nodded, calming down. "I'll be there for him."

They watched as Ren dispatched the last shadow.

"See, I told you he'd be… oh…" Panther trailed off, noticing the look on Queen's face.

Relieved, but also…

Completely enamored.

* * *

Miraculously, they had managed to survive. Even when the entire public gave up on them. Even when that grail had tried to erase them.

Bringing everyone back from the brink, they decided to take a short break before confronting their final enemy.

"So… this is where you fuse new Persona?" Makoto asked, sitting down next on the bed in his cell.

"Yeah…" he weakly nodded.

"Thank you for helping me find my justice again." Makoto beamed. "You've always been there for me."

"You're so strong…" he told her. "I knew you wouldn't give up."

"That's because of you." She whispered. "You're the source of my strength."

"I…"

"Ren, talk to me." she insisted, not seeing the need for a codename at this point. "You've helped me when I was at lowest. So let me help."

He stayed silent for another few moments, finally speaking right before she could ask again.

"…I'm afraid." He admitted. "I don't know if we can beat that thing."

"I understand." she told him. "I'm sure we all feel that way. But we can't give up. Not like everyone else has. We need to fight our hardest."

"I will, it's just…"

Suddenly, we wrapped her into a tight hug.

Surprised, she was about to remind him that the others might see them until…

"I almost lost you." he choked out, sobbing into her shoulder.

"Oh Ren…" she whispered, returning his hug.

As one of her hands rubbed his back, her other hand started gently weaving through his curly hair, slowly soothing him.

"It's ok, Ren." she whispered, a few tears of her own falling. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

"Please… stay." he whispered.

"I will. Forever, if you want." she smiled.

A few minutes later, he had calmed down, lifting his head to look her in the eyes.

"Better?" she asked.

"Yeah." he nodded. "Thanks, Queen."

"There's… not really a point in using codenames anymore." she told him.

"You'll always be my Queen, though." he smirked.

She could feel the blush crawling onto her face. "You must be feeling better if you can say something that corny."

"You know you like it."

"I do." she smiled. "You're very sweet. Now, let's not keep the others waiting."

"Hold on!" he called.

Curious as what he wanted, she watched him lift up his mask before doing the same to hers.

"Gotta make sure to remember to lift them this time." he grinned.

"Of course." she grinned back, knowing what he was going to do.

He pulled her into a passionate kiss, both of them taking the time to savor it…

"HELL YEAH, REN!"

That is, until, they heard shouting and quickly pulled apart, only to find the other Thieves right in front of them.

"Ohoho! Joker and Queen!" Ann beamed.

"Please, hold that pose!" Yusuke demanded.

"Oh my!" Haru gasped.

"Lewd." Futaba said.

"O-Oh!" Makoto stammered. "Well, um… I guess this is a strange time to bring this up, but…"

"You're dating!" Ann grinned, practically bouncing off the ground with excitement.

"How did you…?"

"I mean, it was kinda obvious." Ryuji laughed. "You think we didn't notice how much time you spent together?"

"And the matching outfits in summer and winter?" Ann added.

"T-That was a coincidence!" Makoto insisted.

"And all the study sessions!" Morgana said.

"W-We were really studying!" Ren defended.

"What about the glances you shared?" Yusuke asked.

"And your late-night text messages!" Futaba yelled.

"Stop hacking my phone!" Ren demanded.

"And finally, there were all of your little rendezvouses to the council room!" Haru said.

"T-That's… was it really that obvious?" Makoto sighed.

"Guess it was." Ren shrugged, before pecking her lips.

"R-Ren?!" Makoto stammered.

"What? They already know." he chuckled.

The mood had, thankfully, become much less gloomy now.

He hated to put a damper on things, but they needed to get a move on.

"We'll talk about this more later." Ren said. "Let's move, everyone!"

He helped her up, giving her hand a squeeze as they made their way towards their final battle.

Knowing that no matter what, they would stay by each other's side as equals.


End file.
